John Hemming MP
NOVEMBER INTERVIEW: JOHN HEMMING MP
John Hemming is the Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley and tirelessly campaigns for increased accountability in government. With extensive experience in family law, John chairs the innovative organisation Justice For Families which aims to reduce the number of injustices in public family law. John is also involved with several other areas of politics including the government’s energy policies.
Labelled “eccentric” by The Times in 2006, John, a former Scholar in Natural Sciences at Magdalen College, Oxford specialising in Theoretical, Atomic and Nuclear Physics, shares with us his acute insight into the failings of the family courts and why exposure is the only way forward:
How did you come to work as a politician for the Liberal Democrats?
I joined the Liberals when I was 16 (in 1976) because I wanted a fairer society and when I assisted a candidate a couple of years later I felt I could do a better job so offered over time to be a candidate. I stood in 6 general elections winning on the 6th time.
You do a great deal of work within the public family law sector; could you tell us a little about the different aspects of the system you focus on?
I look at the system from end to end. There are so many injustices it is shocking. The worst thing is the results for the children both those wrongly removed and those left to face abuse.
There is a strong feeling amongst the British public that their government is infringing on their fundamental rights in relation to the way family law operates: why do you think this is?
The secrecy prevents accountability which allows corruption to seep in.
The recent debate over media reporting in the family courts has had a mixed reaction; with judicial discretion as a suggested preliminary hurdle to getting a case ‘opened up’ to media scrutiny, will media exposure make a difference?
It doesn’t work with judicial discretion. Judges won’t admit they are mad. If people really knew what was going on they would not tolerate it.
The very sad story of Baby P has caused a national outcry and the media has clearly made a difference by exposing this particular case, but there are many other issues that indicate a severe fall in competence levels within the system: what, in your opinion, is at the heart of these symptoms?
The Self-serving nature of the system. I have jointly written an article with two social workers that is available on the net.
Damaging instances of oversight like the now scrapped, incentivisation process in relation to adoption are also worrying: do these policies come about due to poor judgment or is there something more to the irrational policy making decisions that is not immediately obvious?
Parliament is out of touch because ministers are able to avoid answering written questions properly.
Another area that you are passionate about is the legitimacy of medical expert evidence: what safeguards would you suggest in order to prevent misplaced trust in untested medical theory?
The use of the system of a judicial expert and permitting second opinions. The family division conflates the two roles and has the judge responsible for making the judgment.
What other weaknesses do you observe in the system?
I could write a book, but a few examples are: lawyers dragging out cases to make money for fees; experts making misleading statements for fees; Social Workers “advocating for the child” and pressurising people to mislead the court.
Are there any strengths that you note?
There are some people doing a really good job. James Munby is making a difference as well as the volunteers who work for various organisations aimed at reforming the system.
If there was one thing you could change, what would it be?
Secrecy because people would not tolerate the reality of family injustice.
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On 1st Dec 2008 at 05:52 PM michaelmac said...
For justice to be done it has to be seen to be done, Not in secret, But as our government does not believe in justice they will try not to open the courts to scrutiny
On 3rd Dec 2008 at 09:40 PM Natasha said...
Hi Michaelmac, thank you for your comment and I think you are right in that government is a little hesitant to probe the issues thoroughly - but that’s what reform orgs like No2Abuse are for!!!!
We will continue to try and make some positive changes to the system; noone is giving up just yet
On 4th Dec 2008 at 02:50 PM michaelmac said...
Hi Natasha, If the government opened the courts up how many horrors stories would appear, And if we believed in justice how people that work in those courts would be in jail for abducting children
On 4th Dec 2008 at 03:00 PM michaelmac said...
I have been arrested for taking on the family courts, And beat them but to do that you have to brake the law, And you have to stand you ground, No matter how hard it gets, If you can prove you case they will not charge you because it would mean going before an open court and exposing the corruption
On 4th Dec 2008 at 03:09 PM Natasha said...
Thank you Michaelmac, I would love to know more about your run in with the family courts
(maybe via the medium of a pm!). I would like to try to help to reform the system within the boundaries of the law and one of the things that I like about John Hemming MP’s approach is that he tries to put pressure on the system using the system, which is a method I think is effective. It may take more time, but in the mean time, there are volunteers and lots and lots of support to give vulnerable families the backing they need to try to work things through ethically.
On 5th Dec 2008 at 08:20 AM michaelmac said...
Hi Natasha, I will post it for every one to read, Some one phoned about about a story, So did some research and found out i was being told the truth, The day before the next court appearance i phoned cafcass officer in charge of the case, And said this you are going to allow a rapist and child abuser the right to have his children half of every week, I said if this happens i would go to the media,What they did not know i also knew he was done for animal cruelty, He had stabbed the youngest daughters horse in the eye with a screw driver, I was arrested and interviewed for 105 mins, During the interview i asked the police officer what he knew about child abuse, he said not alot, So i said i know a bit about it from being abused as a child and i have had three siblings kill themselves because of it, I also asked why he was more worried about charging me than protection the children in this case, All this was recorded, The head lawyer for the CPS Said he would have had to do what i did with the imformation i had so i was not charged, The out come of me being involved was a judge was removed from the family courts and the childrens father cannot see his children, I have since meet the children and the mother she and they are getting on with their lives and the childrens school work has improved a geat deal
On 5th Dec 2008 at 04:34 PM Natasha said...
Your story highlights a lot of problems within the family courts, not least of all the fact that more often than not, legally registered wrongdoing in its various forms is often ignored or not allowed to be considered when deciding whether or not contact in whole or in part is suitable or in a child’s best interests.
There is also the pressing issue of finding out whether the children in question have views or concerns and whether or not those concerns are themselves material, whether as evidence of an expression of a desire or more ominously, evidence of parental pressure.
Another point that springs to mind when reading your story is the issue of judicial discretion and how it is used. The notion that a judge can bring his own personal point of view into the court room underscores the fundamental hypocracy of a system that expects humanity to work within the highest moral standards, which are supposed to be above and beyond human prejudice and yet, judicial discretion is being used as a prejudicial tool through the judge’s own personal perception of life! Ay Caramba!
The strongest emotional reaction for me when reading your comment is the enormous need for a more collaborative, open and prejudice-free approach, with judgement coming from the purest of places possible: compassion. Compassion as a resource protects the vulnerable and gets to the heart of all that is hostile. Above all, I believe that unlike judicial discretion today,it offers a more powerful and efficient flexibility because all the while it works within acknowledged parameters and does not lead to unexpected outcomes. Unlike the myriad judges we presently have who are trying to uphold the system using discrimination rooted in personal sentiment. This can never lead to peaceful resolution.
I greatly admire your bravery and it is by the by, also a great example of the power media exposure or even just the threat of it, can have!!!
On 7th Dec 2008 at 12:03 AM michaelmac said...
Hi Natasha, I have used the radio a number of time to attack government ministers and others about child abuse, Both local and national radio, And i have posts on many news papers some as far away as Australia, In the USA two people have blogs about one thing, Thats the cover up of abuse in the catholic church and both are using my words to get their message across, We can do things right if there is the will, I have talk to Teresa on the phone about some thing i helped set up in Australia, This is whats happening now an International charity is so impressed with what my friends are doing in child welfare they are buying them two motors, And Sue the person in charge is being nominated for a medal, Because like me and others she came though some awful child abuse against all odds, And she is dedicated to stopping abuse of children, I give Sue some thing No one in Australia has been able to, Thats self belief
On 7th Dec 2008 at 04:31 AM Natasha said...
Hi Michaelmac, that sounds very inspiring and how wonderful that there are people like you and Sue who are willing to persist to improve the quality of life for others.
On 7th Dec 2008 at 09:32 AM michaelmac said...
Hi Natasha, There are loads of survivors and their supporters who round the world who are dedicated to ending abuse, There is going to be a march in Washington DC 2010, And survivors and supporters from around the world are going, It will be great as i will meet lots of my online friends, I am hoping Teresa can go to
On 7th Dec 2008 at 09:48 PM Natasha said...
That would be great - what a powerful union of people.
On 29th Sep 2009 at 08:21 PM Zoompad said...
The use of PAS is the secret family courts is an absolute scandal. Parental Alienation Syndrome was invented by an American paedophile, and introduced into the secret family court system by Eagle Associates, a company which sells aircraft, chairman is a chap called David Abrahams! There is something well dodgy going on in those secret courts!